There are a variety of concealable beds that can be quickly and conveniently stored out of sight. Some that are well-known and widely used today include Murphy beds, sleeper sofas, trundle beds, convertible futons, roll-away beds, and inflatable beds. While each of these provides a certain level of convenience, each also has its drawbacks, as enumerated, below.
a) Murphy Beds.
A problem with Murphy beds is that they are not compact. In the stored position, they take up a large amount of wall or closet space that might otherwise be available for windows, countertops, storage, artwork, wall cabinets, or other items.
b) Sleeper Sofas.
A problem with sleeper sofas is that in order to provide the concealable bed, one must have the sofa. In many situations one might wish to have a concealable bed without a sofa, such as in home offices, bedrooms, etc. Another problem is that the design options of sleeper sofas are limited—one might rather have a more elegant sofa, and then accommodate the concealable bed in some other article of furniture.
c) Trundle Beds.
A problem with trundle beds is that on their own they provide only a twin-sized mattress, rather than the full-sized (or larger) mattress provided by a typical Murphy or sleeper sofa. Although a trundle bed can work together with a fixed twin bed to create the equivalent of one full-sized mattress, this limits its use to bedrooms.
d) Convertible Futons.
Convertible futons have the same problem as sleeper sofas. See paragraph “b” above.
e) Rollaway Beds.
A problem with rollaway beds (and folding cots) is that they are heavy and awkward to move from room to room. Another problem is that they require a closet or room to store them in, which may not be available or which one might rather use for other purposes.
f) Inflatable Beds.
A problem with inflatable beds is that they are not durable, and are easily damaged by accidental punctures. Another problem is that they can be cold and/or squeaky.
In addition to the commonly known concealable beds listed above, there have also been a myriad of lesser-known efforts to hide beds in other furniture. These have generally attempted to fold, tilt, swing, or slide some manner of customized collapsible bed into some manner of customized wardrobe, credenza, desk, or cabinet. A sample includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,313,813 (the side of a desk), U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,447 (the kneewell of a desk), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,151 (a large free-standing cabinet). In the past, articles of this sort have suffered from one, several, or all of the following problems:
a) they are unnecessarily complex,
b) they are cumbersome,
c) they are impractical,
d) they rely on customized construction rather than readily available, prefabricated parts,
e) the beds are built into highly unique pieces of furniture that are hard to adapt to a variety of environments, and/or
f) their space-savings and utility over other forms of concealed beds are nominal.
A specific case in point is George Fasanella's “Dormitory Furniture Ensemble” of 1969 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,769), which essentially conceals a sleeper sofa inside the bottom section of a wardrobe cabinet. Relative specifically to the provision of a concealable bed, the following list describes some, but not necessarily all, of the invention's drawbacks:
a) The sleeper sofa assembly is not readily transferable to other designs. The high degree of customization of the sofa, its carriage, and the cabinet makes it difficult to adapt the assembly to other articles of furniture or built-in construction, limiting its utility. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, the shape of side panels 86 and 88, and custom latch assembly 124.
b) The sleeper sofa assembly is non-modular. The ensemble is constructed as one unit, using frames and panel members that rely on each other for support or are continuous from one component to the next, rather than dividing the unit into separate components, or into separate carcasses or “boxes.” Examples of this include, but are not limited to, panels 218 and 242, the continuous back panel, and hat channel 226 (which is supported by, and integrated into, end frames 192 and 194).
c) The sleeper sofa assembly is not compact. Storing a concealed sofa as well as a concealed bed requires a design that is larger and more complex than would be required for a bed alone (refer to the section drawing of the “closed” ensemble, FIG. 4).
d) The bed assembly is cumbersome to access. The design forces the user to deploy the full sofa configuration before accessing the bed—one cannot go straight to the bed configuration. One must raise panel 104 and slide it into its recess, then slide the sofa forward, then pivot bolster 48 into position and engage linkage 115, and then remove and store the base cushion 50—only then can one extend the bed.
e) The bed-and-drawer assembly is unnecessarily complex. The high number of components (including many moving parts and pieces of custom hardware) increases the risk of malfunction or failure. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:                1. “Rail 98” (FIG. 4), which is unnecessary. The drawer could be stopped in the (properly aligned) closed position by a carcase, frame, or a simpler concealed wood or metal stop. Any commonly available furniture latch could hold the drawer in place once closed.        2. “Wheels 90” (FIG. 6), which are unnecessary. Their inclusion in combination with “guide rail assembly 80” could cause the drawer to rack, or could damage the guide rails. Heavy-duty drawer slides could support the entire weight of both the drawer and its users, even when used as a sofa.        3. “Latch Assembly 124,” which is unnecessary. It is also highly customized and intricate, and therefore likely to malfunction. Its purpose, to stop the drawer in the open position, can be accommodated by modern drawer slides, many versions of which offer a “lock out” function.        
Thus, there is a need for an additional type of concealable bed that provides a full-sized (or larger) mattress without a sofa, while at the same time being compact, simple, modular, easy to use, adaptable to a wide variety of conditions, and constructible from standardized, readily available parts.